May 2023 — The second cohort of the FCSA’s School Leaders Fellowship successfully completed the program in May 2023 and is prepared to lead a Florida Charter School. The School Leaders Fellowship (SLF) Class of 2023 are:
(top row)
- Erica Leatherbarrow – Assistant Admin/Testing Coordinator, River City Science Academy Intercoastal (Duval County)
- Yakup Ustaomer – Dean of Academics, River City Science Academy Intercoastal (Duval County)
- Alyssa Gibson – Assistant Principal, Tradition Preparatory High School (St. Lucie County)
- Jeffrey Colavecchio – Assistant Testing Coordinator, Instructor, and ESE Coordinator, Everglades Preparatory Academy (Palm Beach County)
- John Galeani – named Principal of Global Outreach Charter Academy (Duval County) in January 2023
(bottom row)
- Valeria Blandino – Principal, AcadeMir Charter School of Osceola (Duval County)
- Olivia Bernal – Mentor Principal, AcadeMir Middle School of Math and Science and AcadeMir Charter School East Middle (Miami Dade County)
- Michael Kupka – ESE Support / Assistant Dean, Tradition Preparatory High School (St. Lucie County)
- Monica Suarez – Dean of Curriculum, True North Classical Academy Kendall/Gateway (Miami-Dade County)
- Dianet De Armas – Principal, South Pointe Scholars Academy (Miami-Dade County)
“The School Leaders Fellowship class of 2023 is an exceptional group of bright and driven educators who are more than ready to effectively lead a charter school,” said Lynn Norman-Teck, Executive Director, FCSA.
The SLF was created by the Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) in order to develop a robust pipeline of principals prepared to take the helm of any charter school in the state. To date, 19 Fellows have completed the program which includes courses and workshops designed to go beyond standard school leadership content. Through presentations from veteran charter school leaders and stakeholders, participants gain the insight and expertise essential to charter school administrators. The FCSA has also partnered with the Charter Support Unit and Noble Education Initiative to provide expert training, mentoring, and support to SLF participants throughout the program and beyond. The SLF is funded by a CSP grant from the Florida Department of Education. Program candidates are recruited from charter schools that have been in operation for 5 years or less and are eligible to receive a CSP grant.
For more information about applying, contact Leicha@FLcharteralliance.org.